WHO: Hotel Quarantine Alone Will Not Make Big Difference In Reducing Covid-19 In Ireland

The effect that the new law will have on Ireland's effort to get the virus under control, has been played down by the World Health Organisation's special envoy on Covid.

The booking portal went live yesterday and the first passengers will arrive in the next 48 hours.

The law currently applies to people from 33 red-list countries, who must quarantine in the hotel for 12 nights. 

The World Health Organisation's special envoy on Covid, Dr David Nabarro, said:

"As part of a wider and integrated COVID control system, this border quarantine can be very useful, but I would counsel, very carefully, against anybody saying that that action on its own, will make a lot of difference. I'm going to stress that it makes a difference as part of a wider package of measures which taken together will reduce risk.